1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for controlling an electric pump supplying operating oil to a driving system or the like of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
As for an electric pump of this kind, Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Application Publication No. 2010-180731 discloses a technique of controlling the electric pump by setting target values of current and a rotation number of a driving motor based on a detected operating oil temperature (oil temperature).
However, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open (Kokai) Application Publication No. 2010-180731, in a case in which an oil temperature detected by an oil temperature sensor is in an operating oil temperature range but indicates an abnormal value having a marked difference from an actual oil temperature, or in a case in which friction as a pump characteristic increases due to deterioration, it is difficult to detect these abnormalities, and there is a problem in which motor control is abnormal.
Also, it is difficult to satisfy both securement of responsiveness and reduction in power consumption even in a case in which the oil temperature sensor and the pump characteristic are normal.